Top financial advisors working with gen x clients and technology professionals in Renton, WA

Carlton Ellis is a financial advisor at Chimera Wealth LLC with 37 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at firms including Nobles and Richards, Inc. and Landolt Securities, Inc. Ellis was involved with In House Hemp LLC from 2019 to 2021. Chimera Wealth serves individual and high-net-worth clients, providing portfolio management, financial planning, pension consulting, and held-away portfolio consulting. The firm combines strategic and tactical model allocations using a mix of analytical approaches and offers unique services such as subscription-based portfolio reports and digital asset access.

Charles Taylor Jr. is a financial advisor with LPL Financial in Renton, WA, holding Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and 14 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at JP Morgan Securities, Bank of America, Merrill, and MassMutual Life Insurance Company. He currently offers investment products and services through LPL Financial under the trade name Global Retirement & Investment Services. LPL Financial is a national broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, retirement plan participants, banks, trust companies, and institutions. The firm provides a range of advisory and brokerage services, including financial planning, third-party asset management, and institutional platforms, supported by a large network of over 22,800 advisors and advanced research tools.

Edward Harris is a financial advisor with Ameriprise in Renton, WA, holding a Series 66 designation and 23 years of industry experience. He has been with Ameriprise and its affiliated entity since 2010. Outside of his advisory role, he owns and operates NorthWest Tax Specialists, a tax preparation business. Ameriprise Financial Services is a large, diversified firm serving individual and institutional clients. It offers a specialized Premier Retirement Income service providing written recommendation reports and ongoing retirement-income planning advice focused on dependable income and tax-aware withdrawal strategies.

Danxia Zhen is a Senior Financial Advisor at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in Boston. She provides personalized wealth management strategies, drawing on the investment insights of Merrill and the banking and lending solutions of Bank of America, to help clients pursue their long-term financial goals. Her client focus areas include college education planning, family wealth management strategies, legacy planning, philanthropic planning, portfolio management services, and tax minimization, among others. Danxia holds a Bachelor's Degree from George Washington University and a Master's Degree from the University of Massachusetts System. She carries professional designations as a Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC) and a Personal Investment Advisor (PIA). Fluent in English, Mandarin, and Yue (Cantonese), she follows the Merrill tradition of community involvement through volunteer work. Outside of her professional activities, Danxia enjoys boating, cooking, hiking, traveling, and practicing yoga.

Daryl Miller is a financial advisor with Continental Investors Services, Inc. in Renton, WA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 28 years of industry experience. His career includes prior roles at Sweetwater Investments, Inc., RA Bench, Inc., and Financial Resources Group. Continental Investors Services, Inc. primarily serves individual retail clients with investment advisory and portfolio management services focused on securities management and trading, including fixed income and municipal markets. The firm emphasizes discretionary and non-discretionary investment account management rather than comprehensive financial planning.

Wanqiu Wu is a financial advisor at Citigroup Global Markets with a Series 66 designation and four years of industry experience. Wu has worked at Citigroup since 2017, including roles at Citibank N.A. prior to joining the current firm, and has prior experience in retail at Bloomingdales. Citigroup Global Markets serves individual and institutional clients across various wealth segments, offering multi-asset investment advisory programs and execution services. The firm combines large institutional scale with specialized market roles, including in-house research and operations as a swap dealer and futures commission merchant.

Arron Thompson is a CFP® certified financial advisor with five years of industry experience, currently practicing at Edward Jones in Pittsburgh, PA. His prior work history includes two years at Alliance Rx Walgreens Prime and five years of service in the US Army. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving more than four million individual and institutional clients with a range of investment solutions, including discretionary and non-discretionary wrap fee strategies, separately managed accounts, and affiliated mutual funds. The firm oversees approximately $1.01 trillion in assets under management and operates a nationwide network of financial advisors and branch offices.

Zack Gutches is a CFP® professional with five years of industry experience. He is the principal at True Riches Financial Planning, an independent firm based in Denver, CO. His career includes roles at Brighton Jones, Deloitte & Touche LLP, and LearnLux, where he currently provides financial well-being consulting to workplace participants. He also offers tax preparation services to clients of his firm. True Riches Financial Planning serves individuals and high-net-worth clients with comprehensive financial planning and discretionary investment management, functioning as a “Personal CFO.” The firm implements tailored financial plans and portfolios using a mix of passive and active strategies, including socially responsible options and direct-indexing, and provides tax preparation services as an affiliated business.

Dave's experience in investment management and financial planning uniquely position him to serve as his client's independent trusted advisor - a personal chief financial officer that can discreetly navigate the tides affecting your financial life. ​ Professional highlights include portfolio management on Union Bank municipal investment team which earned recognition as the best in the industry by Barron's in 2008 and 2009; lead investment management responsibility at a $300M financial planning firm; and working with amazing entrepreneurs, executives, and families. ​ David's education includes a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation, a Certified Financial Planning (CFP) designation, and a U.C. Berkeley bachelor's degree where he conducted a study on evidenced based investment management with Haas Professor of Investments David Distad. ​ David launched PFM to continue building upon his vision of complete personal financial management: discreet and unwavering focus on how expert financial management can help a client achieve her goals. From setting and achieving goals, to preparing you for all of life's contingencies and investing for your future - David helps his client's understand what they should be doing, and then helps them get it done.

Sawyer Sams is a financial advisor at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management and a member of the Smith Conkin Dixon Wealth Management Group. He and his team focus on developing personalized wealth strategies that leverage Merrill's investment and planning resources along with Bank of America's banking and lending capabilities. Their services encompass family wealth management, legacy planning, retirement planning, philanthropic planning, and portfolio management for clients across multiple states. Before joining Merrill, Sawyer gained experience at a smaller wealth and investment management firm in Charlotte, NC, where he led the investment committee and managed asset allocation and trading activities. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER (CFP) certification. Sawyer graduated from Furman University with a bachelor's degree in economics. Sawyer resides in Johnson City, TN, and is active in his community through involvement with First Christian Church and the Milligan University CFA Research Team. Outside of work, he enjoys basketball, cooking, football, pickleball, and spending time with his family.

Michelle Vargas, Certified Financial Planner™ is the President of Waymaker Financial Planning, a Fee-Only firm that provides transparent and accessible financial guidance. She enjoys helping clients navigate and plan all aspects of their financial life so that they will worry less about their future and free up more time to spend doing what they love. After earning a degree in Finance from the University of Southwestern Louisiana in 1990, she moved to Florida and started her career with Harcourt Brace Publishing. Her journey into personal finance began when she signed up for her 401K and wanted to learn about additional options to plan for retirement. This eventually led to working as a financial advisor and completing the extensive education requirements for becoming a CFP® in 1998. She believes her experience as a young professional searching for unbiased advice enables her to better serve Gen XY professionals because she remembers what it was like being in their shoes. As a former homeschool parent and the wife of a federal employee, she is passionate about helping women, homeschool families, and federal workers plan wisely for a comfortable financial future. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking in Colorado, barbecuing with family, and working in her garden.

Many blue-collar business owners spend years building successful companies but struggle with inconsistent cash flow, high taxes, and uncertainty about how to turn their business into a secure retirement. Unlike most financial firms that focus primarily on investments, I take a planning-first approach that connects your business strategy with your personal financial goals. As a CFP® professional and fee-only fiduciary advisor with 10+ years of experience, I help business owners integrate cash flow planning, tax strategies, risk management, retirement planning, and investments into one coordinated plan. Having experienced the challenges of business ownership firsthand and growing up in a family business, I understand that your business is often your largest asset. My goal is to provide the guidance and strategy business owners need to protect what they've built and create financial freedom beyond their business.

I believe that everyone should have access to a professional advisor who understands their needs and can help them achieve the lifestyle they desire. As a financial advisor, I am dedicated to learning about your personal goals and using them to build a retirement plan tailored to your unique situation. NexJenn Financial Services was founded in response to the demand for financial planning from my tax clients. Often squeezed between spending for their kids’ education, caring for an elderly relative and saving for their own retirement, many were anxious about their financial future. I have enjoyed helping my clients find a balance and focus on building a strong financial future. I am a CPA® and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER Professional®, as well as a Retirement Income Certified Professional®. Additionally, I am a member of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors and the XY Planning Network. In my spare time, my husband and I volunteer at a homeless shelter. I also love to bike and travel and am an aspiring photographer. I have been married for 30 years and together with my awesome husband, we’ve raised three awesome kids.

I'm a fiduciary & CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER living in Indianapolis, Indiana but serving clients nationwide. For years I've helped individuals and families plan for retirement and other imporant financial decisions. In college, I studied economics with a concentration in finance. After college, I worked for large wealth management firm in Indiana and then a boutique financial advising office specializing in retirement planning. That firm was later acquired and after a few years working for the acquiring firm I left to start WealthGuides. As an advisor I've worked with clients age 22 to 92. While I've worked with a wide range of people, I've always found my passion was with working with people to create a plan for retirement. As an advisor I provide guidance to my clients on taxes, their investment portfolios, estate planning, & charitable giving amongst others areas. I show people where they can save on taxes and I give clarity and strategies for how my clients can maximize the potential for what they can spend on themselves and give to others. On the personal side I'm a runner, a reader, a cat dad, and a traveler. I also enjoy sipping on a nice glass of wine or whiskey.

I am a seasoned technology professional and an entrepreneur based in Silicon Valley. I have experience starting and running a software company that was venture-funded and subsequently acquired by a public company. During my high-tech career, I got intrigued by money matters such as savings, investments, insurance, taxes in order to achieve my family's financial goals. Out of curiosity, I spent time reading and researching various aspects of personal finance. I realized that there are a growing number of financial options available with increasing complexity in these choices. My passion towards financial planning ultimately resulted in pursuing formal education in financial planning, subsequently completing the CFP Board requirements to be a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® Professional. I launched Encover Personal Finance in 2018, primarily to help technology professionals achieve their financial life goals based on my own experience. I believe in serving clients honestly and transparently in a conflict-free manner. https://www.encoverpersonalfinance.com/about